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💻 Part 2: How Digital Fragments of Optimization Become Abstract Agents A Deep Dive in the “Fragments to Agents” Series

In Part 1, we explored how biological and cultural systems turn scattered parts into living, social, and economic agents. In Part 2, we shift focus to the digital and abstract realms, where fragments of optimization and computation give rise to systems that act—sometimes in ways even their designers didn’t anticipate.

This session features a substantial presentation followed by deep group discussion. We’ll unpack the central question:

How do fragments of digital optimization become abstract agents?

From machine learning systems and feedback loops to digital marketplaces and algorithmic trading—how do we draw the line between a tool and an agent? And what happens when optimization processes become powerful enough to behave as if they have goals?

We’ll explore topics and questions such as:

• When does optimization become agency?
• What distinguishes a system doing work from one with intent?
• What does mesa-optimization teach us about AI and control?
• How do abstract systems—like social networks or algorithms—begin to influence the real world with agent-like persistence?

This session draws from thinkers such as Alan Turing, Norbert Wiener, Stuart Russell, Melanie Mitchell, John von Neumann, and others in the space of AI alignment, computational emergence, and abstract systems.

This event is open to all groups, but the core emphasis will be on questions most relevant to our AI, computation, and systems-focused members. Other lenses—including biological, philosophical, and cultural—will return in future sessions.

Format:

• Substantial presentation on core ideas
• Open, in-depth discussion and Q&A
• Optional follow-up materials and content links

Whether you’re curious about optimization, autonomy, agency, or existential risk—this session offers a deep look into one of the most urgent and fascinating transitions in the modern world.

Hi Everyone,

We’re thrilled to announce that Meet-Up #7 is now confirmed for Tuesday 1st July 2025! 🎉

Join us at our London HQ, 100 Liverpool Street, for an evening packed full of insightful talks, great conversations and plenty of opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper meet-up without pizza and refreshments to keep the energy high all night! 🍕🥤

🕕 Doors open for networking at 18:00 🎤 The first talk kicks off at 18:30 🚪 Wrapping up at 20:30

We can’t wait to see you there!

#1 Kat Holmes \| Data Director @ Siemens Energy Data Readiness - The Elephant in the AI Room Kat has been transforming organisations through data and technology leadership for the past 20 years – most recently as a data director specialising in strategy and governance. Currently holding a senior leadership role at Siemens Energy, the world's most influential energy technology company, Kat's key responsibilities include driving data readiness for AI throughout the organisation.

She has also recently been able to integrate her lifelong commitment to ESG into her data career, through her public talks on diversity, inclusion and belonging in data teams. In 2021, Kat founded MenopauseX, on behalf of Women in Data®. MenopauseX is an initiative whose mission is to help organisations better support their staff through leveraging data and analytics.

#2 Muna Tutton, Muna Tutton, Strategic Initiatives Lead, FTSE Russell Engineering, LSEG Lighting the Fire: How Hackathons Ignite Change in Financial Services

Muna will be be sharing how a journey from physics to the fast-paced world of financial services taught me that the toughest challenges aren’t just technical — they’re human. From architecture roles to hackathons, I’ll share how embracing ambiguity and empowering people to act can turn ideas into impact.

#3 Barbara Correia, Lead Data Scientist @ Mesh-AI & Alejandra Gutierrez, Software Engineer @ Schroders Scaling Equity Research: A Multi-Agent Approach to Analytical Workflows

Alejandra is a graduate software engineer at Schroders, where she works in the AI research team. She has a degree in Biomedical engineering from Imperial College. Barbara is a Lead Data Scientist at Mesh-AI and has been working on the Agentic Scope, focusing on the FS industry.

Event Overview: We are thrilled to invite you to London Data Engineering Coffee Chat.

This time we invite speakers from AB InBev, exciting opportunity to talk to Data Scientist at FMCG Industry

Speakers: Russell Chou, Data Scientist at AB InBev - the world's largest beer company! 🍺 It owns many well-known global beer brands, including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona and many more🍻

Russell will be sharing real-world insights into how data science supports business development in the FMCG industry.

Erwin Valdez, experienced Data Engineer in KPMG, specialised in building scalable pipelines for AI systems in the financial and regulatory sectors

Why Attend?

• Learn from the Best: Gain insights from top experts and innovators.
• Network: Connect with professionals and peers in the industry.
• Innovate: Discover new ideas and approaches that can drive your work forward.

Engage: Participate in Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and networking.

In this podcast episode, we talked with Will Russell about From Hackathons to Developer Advocacy.

About the Speaker: Will Russell is a Developer Advocate at Kestra, known for his videos on workflow orchestration. Previously, Will built open source education programs to help up and coming developers make their first contributions in open source. With a passion for developer education, Will creates technical video content and documentation that makes technologies more approachable for developers. In this episode, we sit down with Will—developer advocate, content creator, and passionate community builder. We’ll hear about his unique path through tech, the lessons he’s learned, and his approach to making complex topics accessible and engaging. Whether you’re curious about open source, hackathons, or what it’s like to bridge the gap between developers and the broader tech community, this conversation is full of insights and inspiration.

🕒 TIMECODES 0:00 Introduction, career journeys, and video setup and workflow 10:41 From hackathons to open source: Early experiences and learning 16:04 Becoming a hackathon organizer and the value of soft skills 23:18 How to organize a hackathon, memorable projects, and creativity 33:39 Major League Hacking: Building community and scaling student programs 41:16 Mentorship, development environments, and onboarding in open source 49:14 Developer advocacy, content strategy, and video tips 57:16 Will’s current projects and future plans for content creation

🔗 CONNECT WITH DataTalksClub Join the community - https://datatalks.club/slack.html Subscribe to our Google calendar to have all our events in your calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r?cid=ZjhxaWRqbnEwamhzY3A4ODA5azFlZ2hzNjBAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ Check other upcoming events - https://lu.ma/dtc-events LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/datatalks-club/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/DataTalksClub Website - https://datatalks.club/

🔗 CONNECT WITH WILL LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wrussell1999/ Twitter - https://x.com/wrussell1999 GitHub - https://github.com/wrussell1999 Website - https://wrussell.co.uk/

Outline: How hackathons and ridiculous projects launched a career in open source; Behind the scenes of scaling the MLH Fellowship during the pandemic; Lessons from mentoring thousands of students into open source contributors; Why storytelling and video are secret weapons for great developer advocacy

In this talk, Russell will explore the realities of customer journeys, challenge common misconceptions about customer behaviour, and highlight the role of attribution and lifetime value in identifying the key factors that drive performance, all with a fresh perspective on journey and funnel design.

IMPORTANT: You can only register for this event on Eventbrite, here: https://Sept2024LNETM.eventbrite.co.uk/

Despite its ubiquity, the SAAS business model faces headwinds with the challenging business environment, rise in AI-based custom software development and technical issues related to resilience & data privacy.

While software service models for software have been around since the 1960’s, Software-as-a-Service really only became a recognised as an industry term in the early 2000’s and has grown in popularity, becoming the main form of software application deployment by 2023.

The thesis of this discussion is that many people have forgotten that there is a lot that sits underneath the day-to-day interface of SAAS applications, such as underlying technologies, data infrastructure, pricing strategies, legal frameworks, etc.. and what that actually means for organisations who have grown dependent on this software business model.

We have brought together a combination of leading SAAS experts for our discussion, including:

• Christian Nentwich (Founder of Duco)
• Graham Russell (Market Intelligence Director at Own Company)
• Griffin Parry (CEO & Co-Founder of M3ter)
• Itxaso del Palacio (Partner at Notion Capital)

Graham will provide a short talk to position the discussion, which will be moderated by Nathan O'Reilly who is an expert in enterprise transformation.

Sincere thanks to LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) for hosting the LNETM and to all our annual sponsors for 2024.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. You must register through Eventbrite in order to attend.
2. Registration will close 48 hours before the event (on the night of Sunday 1st September).
3. Please bring photo ID to the event, as it may be required for entry. to the event, as it may be required for entry.

IMPORTANT - This is a free event with an RSVP for tickets below. We very much hope you enjoy the event and get a lot out of it. Having said that, if you register to attend:

• but do not show up, or
• can't attend and do not cancel your registration 24 hours in advance from the start of the event, or
• do not email your cancellation to [email protected] 24 hours from the start of the event.

We will not allow you to attend future free events. So please be courteous and let us know.

RSVPs are on Eventbrite for an "Azure OpenAI & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" Event for an Azure OpenAI / Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) Event in Reston VA on Friday, June7, 2024, 11AM – 3PM EST.

Event title: Azure OpenAI & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

AGENDA 11:00AM – Event Opening / Welcome & presentation of agenda 11:10AM – Noelle Russell, Building Responsible Generative AI at Scale 11:50AM – Wole Mose, Specific Topic TBA, General on Open AI and DE&I 12:30 – Lunch (take and return to session area) 1:00PM – Antares Leask, Copilot Is My Copilot: Using AI to Navigate Accessibility and Inclusivity in This Whole New World 1:40 – Yanna Zhang, How AI can help organizations to enhance inclusion and accessibility 2:20 – Pooja Chadha – (tentative title) How Azure Open AI can help organizations with their Diversity, Inclusion and Equity efforts 3:00PM – Event Closing

The location will be: Microsoft Corporation Rooms TBA 11955 Freedom Dr, Reston, VA 20190

RSVP link - https://azureopenai-deievent.eventbrite.com . An RSVP will get you an event badge, you will need an event badge to attend the event.

Creating a culture of continuous learning within analytics functions isn't just beneficial; it's essential. In the session, Russell Johnson, Chief Data Scientist at Marks & Spencer, Denisse Groenendaal-Lopez, Learning & Development Business Partner at Booking Group, and Mark Stern, VP of Business Intelligence & Analytics at BetMGM will address the importance of fostering a learning environment for driving success with analytics. They will provide insights on developing a culture where continuous learning, experimentation, and curiosity are the norms—and strategies leaders can adopt today to drive up excitement around analytics adoption & upskilling. 

Russell will go into details about the trials, tribulations, maths, complexities behind the scenes of building the tech.

Please join the session that is best suited to your time zone...this topic is repeated at 2 different times. Now that quantum computing is available to the masses, what can be done with this new technology outside of scientific research?

We will be providing an overview and deep dive into how quantum computing can be used for artistic and creative purposes. Over the course of an hour, Wiktor Mazin and Russell Huffman will give a survey of how quantum computing is being adopted by creative practitioners, and then go through a tutorial on how you can get started by created fractal art with quantum information, quantum circuits, and using IBM’s real state of the art quantum systems.

All necessary tools and links to get started will be covered during this talk.

Note that this is part 7 of an 8-session series on Quantum Computing on Mar 22/23, Apr 5/6, Apr 19/20, May 3/4, May 17/18, May 31/Jun 1, Jun 14/15, Jul 5/6. The sessions are not prerequisites for each other, and are not recorded. We will provide reference links and do quick recaps of previous content as required, so if you miss an earlier session, you can still get value from subsequent sessions.

Presenters: Wiktor Mazin, Russell Huffman

Wiktor Mazin is a Quantum Industry Application Consultant in Healthcare and Life Sciences in IBM Quantum, and a Qiskit Advocate. He combines his industry background with his passion for Quantum Computing and extensive Data Science lead experience, and today he guides clients on the quantum computing journey.

Wiktor holds a M.Sc. in Engineering (chaos theory & Turing patterns), a Ph.D. in Biophysics and a MMT (eMBA) from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

Russell Huffman is a Design Lead with IBM Quantum, a Qiskit Advocate, and a Quantum Ambassador. He has an M.Sc. in Digital Media from Georgia Tech and over 10 years of industry design experience. Russell has built his career at the intersection of emerging technology and design, including working in AI and quantum computing with several patents in both fields. He also has one of the world’s first quantum art installations, currently on display in one of IBM’s offices in Manhattan.

*** Please join us at the session that is best suited to your time zone. Note that this topic is: 1. Repeated at two different times to accommodate various time zones\, because it is 2. Posted simultaneously in multiple meetup groups world-wide *** It is recommended that you register at this Webex link ahead of time to receive a calendar invite and reminder. https://ibm.webex.com/weblink/register/r53693df31c3b316a9abbb3943198e137

Please join the session that is best suited to your time zone...this topic is repeated at 2 different times. Now that quantum computing is available to the masses, what can be done with this new technology outside of scientific research?

We will be providing an overview and deep dive into how quantum computing can be used for artistic and creative purposes. Over the course of an hour, Wiktor Mazin and Russell Huffman will give a survey of how quantum computing is being adopted by creative practitioners, and then go through a tutorial on how you can get started by created fractal art with quantum information, quantum circuits, and using IBM’s real state of the art quantum systems.

All necessary tools and links to get started will be covered during this talk.

Note that this is part 7 of an 8-session series on Quantum Computing on Mar 22/23, Apr 5/6, Apr 19/20, May 3/4, May 17/18, May 31/Jun 1, Jun 14/15, Jul 5/6. The sessions are not prerequisites for each other, and are not recorded. We will provide reference links and do quick recaps of previous content as required, so if you miss an earlier session, you can still get value from subsequent sessions.

Presenters: Wiktor Mazin, Russell Huffman

Wiktor Mazin is a Quantum Industry Application Consultant in Healthcare and Life Sciences in IBM Quantum, and a Qiskit Advocate. He combines his industry background with his passion for Quantum Computing and extensive Data Science lead experience, and today he guides clients on the quantum computing journey.

Wiktor holds a M.Sc. in Engineering (chaos theory & Turing patterns), a Ph.D. in Biophysics and a MMT (eMBA) from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

Russell Huffman is a Design Lead with IBM Quantum, a Qiskit Advocate, and a Quantum Ambassador. He has an M.Sc. in Digital Media from Georgia Tech and over 10 years of industry design experience. Russell has built his career at the intersection of emerging technology and design, including working in AI and quantum computing with several patents in both fields. He also has one of the world’s first quantum art installations, currently on display in one of IBM’s offices in Manhattan.

*** Please join us at the session that is best suited to your time zone. Note that this topic is: 1. Repeated at two different times to accommodate various time zones\, because it is 2. Posted simultaneously in multiple meetup groups world-wide *** It is recommended that you register at this Webex link ahead of time to receive a calendar invite and reminder. https://ibm.webex.com/weblink/register/r53693df31c3b316a9abbb3943198e137

Please join the session that is best suited to your time zone...this topic is repeated at 2 different times. Now that quantum computing is available to the masses, what can be done with this new technology outside of scientific research?

We will be providing an overview and deep dive into how quantum computing can be used for artistic and creative purposes. Over the course of an hour, Wiktor Mazin and Russell Huffman will give a survey of how quantum computing is being adopted by creative practitioners, and then go through a tutorial on how you can get started by created fractal art with quantum information, quantum circuits, and using IBM’s real state of the art quantum systems.

All necessary tools and links to get started will be covered during this talk.

Note that this is part 7 of an 8-session series on Quantum Computing on Mar 22/23, Apr 5/6, Apr 19/20, May 3/4, May 17/18, May 31/Jun 1, Jun 14/15, Jul 5/6. The sessions are not prerequisites for each other, and are not recorded. We will provide reference links and do quick recaps of previous content as required, so if you miss an earlier session, you can still get value from subsequent sessions.

Presenters: Wiktor Mazin, Russell Huffman

Wiktor Mazin is a Quantum Industry Application Consultant in Healthcare and Life Sciences in IBM Quantum, and a Qiskit Advocate. He combines his industry background with his passion for Quantum Computing and extensive Data Science lead experience, and today he guides clients on the quantum computing journey.

Wiktor holds a M.Sc. in Engineering (chaos theory & Turing patterns), a Ph.D. in Biophysics and a MMT (eMBA) from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

Russell Huffman is a Design Lead with IBM Quantum, a Qiskit Advocate, and a Quantum Ambassador. He has an M.Sc. in Digital Media from Georgia Tech and over 10 years of industry design experience. Russell has built his career at the intersection of emerging technology and design, including working in AI and quantum computing with several patents in both fields. He also has one of the world’s first quantum art installations, currently on display in one of IBM’s offices in Manhattan.

*** Please join us at the session that is best suited to your time zone. Note that this topic is: 1. Repeated at two different times to accommodate various time zones\, because it is 2. Posted simultaneously in multiple meetup groups world-wide *** It is recommended that you register at this Webex link ahead of time to receive a calendar invite and reminder. https://ibm.webex.com/weblink/register/r53693df31c3b316a9abbb3943198e137

With the advent of any new technology that promises to make humans lives easier, replacing concious actions with automation, there is always backlash. People are often aware of the displacement of jobs, and often, it is viewed in a negative light. But how do we try to change the collective understanding to one of hope and excitement? What use cases can be shared that will change the opinion of those that are weary of AI?  Noelle Silver Russell is the Global AI Solutions & Generative AI & LLM Industry Lead at Accenture, responsible for enterprise-scale industry playbooks for generative AI and LLMs. In this episode of our AI series, Noelle discusses how to prioritize ChatGPT use cases by focusing on the different aspects of value creation that GPT models can bring to individuals and organizations. She addresses common misconceptions surrounding ChatGPT and AI in general, emphasizing the importance of understanding their potential benefits and selecting use cases that maximize positive impact, foster innovation, and contribute to job creation. Noelle draws parallels between the fast-moving AI projects today and the launch of Amazon Alexa, which she worked on, and points out that many of the discussions being raised today were also talked about 10 years ago. She discusses how companies can now use AI to focus both on business efficiencies and customer experience, no longer having to settle for a trade-off between the two. Noelle explains the best way for companies to approach adding GPT tools into their processes, which focusses on taking a holistic view to implementation. She also recommends use-cases for companies that are just beginning to use AI, as well as the challenges they might face when deploying models into production, and how they can mitigate them.  On the topic of the displacement of jobs, Noelle draws parallels from when Alexa was launched, and how it faced similar criticisms, digging into the fear that people have around new technology, which could be transformed into enthusiasm. Noelle suggests that there is a burden on leadership within organizations to create a culture where people are excited to use AI tools, rather than feeling threatened by them.

In this talk Russell will show how the cost to acquire a conversion changes over time. This will be based on when customers were originally acquired, what they bought and much more.

Data science teams looking to turn research into useful analytics applications require not only the right tools, but also the right approach if they’re to succeed. With the revised second edition of this hands-on guide, up-and-coming data scientists will learn how to use the Agile Data Science development methodology to build data applications with Python, Apache Spark, Kafka, and other tools. Author Russell Jurney demonstrates how to compose a data platform for building, deploying, and refining analytics applications with Apache Kafka, MongoDB, ElasticSearch, d3.js, scikit-learn, and Apache Airflow. You’ll learn an iterative approach that lets you quickly change the kind of analysis you’re doing, depending on what the data is telling you. Publish data science work as a web application, and affect meaningful change in your organization. Build value from your data in a series of agile sprints, using the data-value pyramid Extract features for statistical models from a single dataset Visualize data with charts, and expose different aspects through interactive reports Use historical data to predict the future via classification and regression Translate predictions into actions Get feedback from users after each sprint to keep your project on track

The indispensable, up-to-date guide to mixed models using SAS. Discover the latest capabilities available for a variety of applications featuring the MIXED, GLIMMIX, and NLMIXED procedures in SAS for Mixed Models, Second Edition, the comprehensive mixed models guide for data analysis, completely revised and updated for SAS 9 by authors Ramon Littell, George Milliken, Walter Stroup, Russell Wolfinger, and Oliver Schabenberger. The theory underlying the models, the forms of the models for various applications, and a wealth of examples from different fields of study are integrated in the discussions of these models: random effect only and random coefficients models; split-plot, multilocation, and repeated measures models; hierarchical models with nested random effects; analysis of covariance models; spatial correlation models; generalized linear mixed models; and nonlinear mixed models.

Professionals and students with a background in two-way ANOVA and regression and a basic knowledge of linear models and matrix algebra will benefit from the topics covered.

This book is part of the SAS Press program.

“Buck Woody’s new book will help new and experienced users alike in getting productive with SQL Server 2005 quickly. His special attention to security and performance make this an exceptional reference that is sure to remain relevant for some time.” —Chip Andrews, CISSP, MCDBA, Director of Research and Development Special Ops Security, Inc. “SQL 2005 is the most exciting upgrade to come out of Redmond in years; this book will help you get up and running quickly to take full advantage of it! If you are looking for a book about upgrading to SQL 2005, look no further, this one is all you need. It gives you all you need to take advantage of everything SQL 2005 has to offer, and that is a lot!” —Doug Ellis, Area Technical Manager, Cognos “Buck Woody provides insight into administering SQL Server 2005 that all developers and database administrators will find useful; the book assumes very little knowledge by providing ‘DBA 101’ sections which will not alienate the experienced reader while providing the necessary introduction to topics for those less experienced.” —Doug Holland, Visual C# MVP, Precision Objects “SQL Server 2005 is a landmark release and this title does an awesome job of hitting everything new in SQL 2005. It covers new and improved administration tools, and contains an overview of Notification Services, SQL Server Service Broker, Reporting Services, Integration Services, and Analysis Services. As a result, you’ll be able to work on your own SQL Server 2005 solutions quickly and painlessly. Ultimately, this book provides you with a starting point, a roadmap, and then the tools and knowledge to exploit this powerful new database server to its fullest power. So, start your computer and get ready to learn SQL Server 2005!” —Alexzander N. Nepomnjashiy, SQL Server DBA, NeoSystems NorthWest “A solid introduction to administering SQL 2005. The ‘DBA 101’ sections provide useful tips for the new DBA, good review for the experienced DBA, and the 101 label enables the seasoned DBA to skip basic material and jump ahead to where the REAL action is…. Buck’s conversational writing style makes this an enjoyable and refreshing contrast to the majority of tech books written these days.” —Brad Russell, MCDBA, Visionary Integration Professionals The Complete, Practical, 100% Useful Guide for Every SQL Server 2005 DBA! This book has one goal: to help database administrators and their managers run SQL Server 2005 with maximum efficiency, reliability, and performance. Renowned SQL Server expert Buck Woody covers every facet of database administration, from installation and configuration through maintaining enterprise-class business intelligence environments. If you’re a new SQL Server administrator, Buck will help you master core tasks rapidly—and avoid costly mistakes that only show up when it’s too late. If you’re familiar with previous versions of SQL Server, he’ll get you up-to-speed fast on everything new that matters, from high availability improvements and Integration Services to the SQL Server Management Studio. Whatever your background, you’ll find best practices, real-world scenarios, and easy-to-use automation scripts—all grounded in Buck’s unsurpassed SQL Server knowledge. • Timesaving tips, practical applications, and start-to-finish examples throughout • Understand the key “decision points” at every stage of your SQL Server deployment • Perform day-to-day maintenance more efficiently, from hotfixes to backup/recovery • Automate maintenance tasks with the SQL Server Agent • Establish and audit security on SQL Server 2005 and the underlying Windows Server platform • Monitor and optimize SQL Server: baselining, profiling, index strategies, query refactoring, and more • Maximize availability using replication, clustering, mirroring, and SQL Server’s new online indexing • Leverage important new improvements in Integration Services and Reporting Services • Use Analysis Services to support enterprise-class Business Intelligence deployments • Even set up a simple configuration of SQL Server 2005 for free—legally! Foreword xviii Chapter 1: Installation and Configuration 1 Chapter 2: Architecture and Tools 35 Chapter 3: Maintenance and Automation 99 Chapter 4: Security 173 Chapter 5: Monitoring and Optimization 237 Chapter 6: High Availability 295 Chapter 7: Notification Services and the Service Broker 365 Chapter 8: Integration Services 399 Chapter 9: Reporting Services 451 Chapter 10: Analysis Services 515 Appendix A: Upgrading to SQL Server 2005 581 Index 605